My Gourmet Vegan Cooking With Pics! :-)

What Halekoch said - here we can buy bags of "edamame" which are soybeans in the pods but it is immediately clear one does not eat the pod. I liken
it to the difference between eating snow peas and shelling peas.

If you do not want to use milk and milk products, you can replace with soy milk and tofu.

As you make tofu, you can also make cottage cheese from cow milk.

Cottage cheese can be used in many dishes. We have a grilled dish called "tikka" which is well liked by people used to grilled foods. You can
substitute cottage cheese with tofu but cottage cheese is tastier.

If you are into grilling, I shall give you the recipe of several grilled vegetarian foods.

Slow roasting cooks the grain thoroughly and makes a snack that can be stored for several days or even months.

Clean fine sand is used for slow roasting. A large heavy pan is used for this purpose. Please fill half the pan with clean fine sand. Heat the pan for
at least 5 minutes on high heat.

Reduce the heat. The sand is now hot enough to roast most grains.

A number of grains can be roasted - wheat, rice, chickpea, corn being the most common ones.

Mix one fistful of grains with the sand with a wooden spatula. Make sure the grains and sand are mixed well. Then leave for about one minute. Shake
the pan and then leave for one more minute. So it is about 2 min 30 seconds for roasting.

You need a sieve for separating sand and roasted grains. It is a large sieve which is available commonly in India. You keep a large plate under the
sieve and then pour the sand containing roasted grains in the sieve. The grains are caught by the sieve while sand passes through to the plate. Shake
the sieve well so that no sand stays in the sieve. Transfer the roasted grain to a sealed container immediately (while warm). The sand can be returned
to roasting pan.

The roasted grains can be mixed with salt and condiments to make tastier.

Pizza night! I spent the night at my mother's last night for a little fun slumber party and wanted to make pizza for everyone!

The top pizza is a spicy jalepeno and red pepper pizza. The rep pepper is a great vegan substitute for pepperoni. The bottom pizza is almost the same
but with the spicy ingredients removed for my son and grandparents.

I purchased the pizza crusts from the store and made sure the ones I bought were vegan. Then I topped with pizza sauce, vegan cheeses (cheddar and
mozzarella), bell peppers, green/black olives, pineapple, and jalapenos/red peppers for the spicy one. Lots of fun, not too hard, and mighty tasty!
Serve with a side salad.

So sorry- I don't want anyone to feel ignored! I guess I just glossed over it since it was in reply to someone else. I have been trying to applaud
members for offering recipes when I remember. Just gave you one, too. Thank you for your efforts!!

As for benefits, I've lost about 15 pounds so far (with approximately 15 more to go). It was intentional, though. I really blew up after going back
to school and needed to lose some weight. So that is a plus. Also a huge boost of energy, and TMI alert- regularity. Great immune system boost- I'm
hardly ever sick and don't remember even being sick since starting. About a week in I did experience some weakness and bloating, though. For a little
while there, I thought veganism wasn't for me and that it was making me sick. It turned out to be a very common side effect to new veganism though as
the body adjusts and detoxes.

Hubby- not too much but he is not full vegan either, though. We're trying to work on his weight and health but I can't get too personal like if it
was me, as I'm sure you know. lol He still eats regular food at lunch. I try to not be militant with him or my son. My son doesn't like to eat full
vegan either so it is just me who is full time. They only eat full vegan when they eat with me. They're very supportive of me but are not dedicated
to it personally.

But really, I've never felt better in my life and am running for the first time in almost 2 decades- even training for my first 5K which will be held
in August!

Oh interesting! Looks like they use cashews (I'm deadly allergic to those). However, I found vegan ranch dressing at whole foods then my local grocery
store has a ranch dressing in the gluten-free section that just happens to be vegan as well.

Are you familiar with those? Just wanted to toss that in there in case you needed 'quick ranch' one night. lol

It turned out well. A little too much dill for my liking, but still good. I did not have black beans or avocados, so I used chickpeas and diced bell
peppers instead. I also added sauteed slices of seitan. I would add photos, but my camera is being a pain. >.<

I do not much care what "some people" say; "some people" have odd theories about everything. The "meat substitution products" I use are minimally
processed. I would much rather eat them and soy products than meat. They taste quite good, as well. ^_^

Also, vegans do not consume animal products of any kind, including milk.

Nothing wrong in using cow milk though. We are only against killing animals, not all animal products. For example we use wool that is hair of sheep.
The hides of dead animals like cows and buffaloes are used for making shoes etc.

People can use soy products. My advice is against eating too much of it. It is advisable to eat several grains/lentils in rotation which improves the
quality of nutrition.

You need a flat bottom heavy pan (very shallow). You can buy a pan made of cast iron or aluminium which is at least 12 inch wide.
Buy a simple uncoated pan.

Buy some whole grain flour (wheat flour preferred).

In a mixing bowl, put 2 cups wheat flour. Add a pinch of salt and one tablespoon yogurt. If you do not have yogurt, add a little cooking oil, around
two teaspoons. Knead the flour with hands, adding water as needed.

Once the dough is ready, cover it with a thick cloth and set aside for around one hour. Do not refrigerate.

Now divide the dough in equal portions (around 8-10 portions).

Take one portion and make a round shape with hands or on a wooden board. Use extra wheat flour for dustng so that dough does not stick to the
surface.

Roll the dough with a rolling pin into a flat bread shape. If you do not have a rolling pin, you can use your hands to flatten the dough and spread
it, though it takes practice.

Heat the pan for a minute on medium heat. Now put a rolled bread in the pan. Shake the pan every 10-15 seconds so that bread does not stick to the
bottom. Cook each side of the bread around 30 seconds (1 minute for both sides). You may find it difficult initially, but you will get better with
practice.

You repeat the process for the remaining portions of dough.

These breads will suffice dinner for two people. The sides can be lentil soup, green salad with fresh fruit, sauteed vegetables etc.

I shall give you a recipe of mint chutney and mango chutney which you can spread on the bread, if you do not have much time to cook. The chutneys can
be refrigerated

1. Peel the mangoes. Remove the pulp from the seed into a bowl using a knife. We need the pulp. If the mango is hard, cut the fruit into small
pieces.

2. In a saucepan, heat 1 cup of water. Add sugar, salt, mango pulp and 'garam masala' to the water. Mix well. Cover and cook on low heat for around
15 minutes. Shake the mixture a couple of time while cooking. You will get consistency of fruit-jelly at the end of cooking.

3. Cool down the mixture, and fill in a glass jar. This chutney can be used safely for 2-3 weeks if refrigerated.

The same cooking methods can be used for other fruits also like guava, strawberry, grapes, peaches etc.

The chutney can be spread on flat-bread or normal baked bread as you wish. Makes for a quick breakfast.

You need a mixer/grinder. Put mint leaves and deseeded green chillies in a mixer. Make a fine paste. Now add yogurt, salt, and garam masala to the
mixer bowl, and run it a little more so that all ingredients are mixed.

You will get consistency of tomato sauce after this. You do not have to cook this chutney. It is ready as soon as ingredients are mixed.

Remove in a glass jar and keep refrigerated. This chutney is good for at least a week if refrigerated.

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